Thank you for posting this. I feel the same way, I don't get why people think we need to keep him. Why? So he can drop the gloves like 8 times in a season with guys like max lapierre? I get it he fights, but it's not like he's an enforcer and it's not like he's protecting guys like Datsyuk or Zetterberg. He takes stupid penalties at the worst times and his goal scoring and point gettting is minimal. He also isn't a huge hitter or anything like that none of the Wings really are. If they want to get serious about guys being grinders then they should go out and actually get one. As far as for Abdelkader if he signs for basically nothing fine that will work, but don't sign him for a contract he's not worth like Ericsson.

I would have never guessed he was that big to be honest. I still am not a huge fan of him, he's not the worst player on the team or anything like that, but he isn't expendable. The Wings aren't a physical team with or without Abdelkader.

This seems to be a good deal, for the team and for Helm. He is a fully known quantity to the coaches and management, and he knows what is being asked of him by the team. Plays hard, I like this guy and am glad they can keep him.

Unfortunately Parise is seeming more and more unlikely just from the rumors. From some of his post-Cup remarks it sounds like he truly does want to stay a Devil. And I think the Minnesota GM said they were not going to be outbidded by anyone in trying to sign him (Parise is from Minnesota, too, making me even more wary). Hopefully the appeal of the Winged-Wheel will convince him otherwise.

Everyone always wants to stay with their team until the first day of free agency hits, then they take what looks like the best offer to them. It may be with the team they were with.

Howeva.
If Parise wanted to stay in NJ that badly, he would have had a contract already. One week til UFA's can sign with anyone they want and all he really wants is to be a Devil? I don't believe it.
2.
Minny can bite it. Everyone's saying they won't be outbid.
Even Philly. And they don't have the cap space for what they have, just about. Let alone another $7M/yr.

It's goign to come down to more than just the money, I think that's about a guarantee. I would bet he's looking for a team that's got a chance to be very good for a long time and a reasonable market where he won't be hounded incessantly. That about rules out all the Canadian teams. And Philly. I thnk Detroit is just as in this race as Minnesota. Particularly once you include the fact both he and Suter played for the USDP in A2 and both have some amount of desire to play together. Maybe in an area they both know. And enjoyed.

There is no comparison between the two. Parise would fit in with everything that the wings do and believe in. hard nosed, high effort, high energy guy who is well respected and good in the locker room. None of those things describe Semin. If you think he can change.. fine, but I will be skeptical until it happens.

Does Parise have a bad injury history that I'm not aware of? I know he had the meniscus issue last season, but that seems to be behind him from what I've seen. He's 27 and has quite a few years ahead of him.

So you're saying your argument has no foundation other than you arbitrarily comparing him with Scott Gomez? If anyone is going to wear down, it'd be Semin. He regularly missed 5+ games a season. Outside of the season he missed with an injury, Parise doesn't miss more than 1-2 games.

Resinging Helm is huge. His absence this year is a big part of why the Wings looked like garbage down the stretch and also in the playoffs. His speed is almost unmatched by anyone in the league and his penalty killing is very vital as well. If he can get a little bit of a goal scoring touch that would be great, but his speed and physicality are something that the Wings need in order to win. He changes the game for the team no doubt.

Great contract by the Wings. I was expecting somewhere between 2.4-2.7 million per year, a bit less than what a guy like Steve Ott gets. Helm's value is underrated, you need guys like him to be successful.

As for Parise, I think he will stay with the Devils, but I'm not 100% sure. I doubt he ends up with the Wings, though, and I'll tell you why:

Parise has two options, stay or go. In order to maximize his money, he will have to leave the Devils. However, by giving up just a bit of money he can stay in Jersey where he's happy, likes his teammates, and owns a house (he's getting married this summer). Also, New Jersey has an excellent core of players right now with Kovalchuk, Parise, Henrique, Clarkson, so he knows he can be successful there, whereas switching teams is a crapshoot.

If he decides to leave, he will create a bidding war, thus maximizing his contract. Someone will overpay for him. IMO he's worth about 6 million a year as a player but will get more than that because he's a hard worker, his teammates love and respect him, and is a high character guy. So the devils will probably offer 7, and then someone will sign him for 8-8.5 because bidding wars always result in players being overvalued.

The reason I say the Wings won't get him is because the organization doesn't get involved in bidding wars for high profile players. They never have and never will, so it would shock me if they got him because they would have to overpay, something they rarely do.

Locking this kid up for 4 years is a great move. In my opinion he has not even begun to show his true potential yet. A few more years playing with Datsyuk and Z will be great for him. People overlook how good Helm is for a young center in the Faceoff circle.

The Wings organization knows that Parise and his pure scoring ability fits perfectly with the pieces currently on the roster (Z, Dats). Further, the Wings are one of the top free agent destinations in the NHL, if not the top. The Wings have had a history of getting deals done with highly sought-after free agents, and this won't be any different. Sure, Parise has a ton of talent around him in NJ, but it's not everyday you have the opportunity to play in Hockeytown being fed by the best passer in the game in Datsyuk.

Parise will be universally adored in Detroit and the fans will love to see an American boy out there to play along side their highly talented Europeans.

I wouldn't go that far. But homerish for sure. What big-time FA have the Wings lured since the lockout? Hossa and Rafalski are really the only ones I can think of. And Hossa was always going to be a one-year rental. This is not the late 90s/early 2000s

I already love the guy. I don't think the Wings have ever had an American-born star (maybe Jimmy Howard, but he's not so much of a star).

I've had a lot of arguments with friends about how I'd love to see Parise get the Captain's C in a year or two (god-willing he comes to Detroit in the first place); most would rather Zetterburg get the C until he retires. I just love the American hockey players.

First: I LOVE Helm. Reminds me a lot of Draper in that he's tough-nosed, physical, fast, great in face offs and chips in short handed goals every now and then.

Second: Parise and Suter both would be awesome if we could pull it off. If we only get 1 I'd take Suter. We lost Nick AND Stuart. That's half of our top-4. We need another elite blueliner. I think kronwall is definitely a top pairing defender. I just worry about him because a lot of his big hits are toeing the line of illegal. If he got suspended for a hit we'd be screwed. And we also seem to need Brendan Smith to be top-4 out of training camp to fill out the pairings. Ericsson is not a top-4 type right now, and I don't think we can rely on him to turn into one next year without Nick there.